Relevance to Key West – 

– Tara O’Grady was recently an artist in residence at The Studios of Key West where she performed a book launch concert on April 26th.

– Books and Books is currently selling her memoir Migrating toward Happiness. She met Judy Blume one day before a painting class at The Studios and the two authors took a photo with their books.

– During her time on the island April 16-May 14, Tara wrote a full new album of songs about Key West. She will be returning in late autumn to perform the songs live which include lyrics referencing everything from key lime pie to the words engraved on the tombstones in the cemetery. The new cd is being called Turquoise Ink and song titles are as follows:

Take a Chance on Love
My Sanctuary
Key West Kind of Day
Te Adoro Mi Carino
City Seagulls
Hoochie Coochie Mondays
Gone But Not Forgotten
The Hundred Acre Wood is on Fire
Tell Me That You Love Me
It’s Okay
Blue Heaven

Here’s some info on the memoir being sold in BOTH book stores on the island:

Migrating toward Happiness: The Soundtrack to My Spiritual Awakening – a memoir by Tara O’Grady

Imagine ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ meets ‘Thelma and Louise’ on the Yellow Brick Road, soundtrack included.

“You see more than the USA in Tara O’Grady’s Chevrolet. All memoirs are journeys but this one is exhilarating, effervescent, and sometimes sad. All men should read it to help them understand the magic of the workings of a woman’s mind and all women should read it for affirmation. It’s got prose, poetry, music, musing and humor spiced with history all soaring in a wild profusion of color and romance settling on a positive peak. Get elevated. Read it. I loved it!”

–Malachy McCourt, A Monk Swimming
“Migrating toward Happiness reads like a song, an intimate melody, made vibrant by the rhythm of motion and the shifting accents of the immigrant voice.  This story is at once familiar and extraordinary – it could be anyone’s family, any American journey – but the storytelling is so poignant, so lively and enchanting, that the tale is utterly seductive.  Tara O’Grady sings from the page in this charming debut, and her readers will be keen for an encore.”

–Jeanine Cummins, American Dirt

If you have ever wondered, “What is the purpose of my life,” then this book is for you. Want to find out what’s on the other side of the rainbow? Put your red shoes on and join Tara O’Grady and her spirit guides as they escort you on a magical and melodious tour down the yellow brick road. Utterly single, recently laid-off and lamenting a city that is consuming her spirit, this native New Yorker begins to not only notice, but understand the road signs the Universe is laying out before her as she awakens to its mysteries. Guided to take a symbolic journey replicating her Irish immigrant grandmother’s 1957 American road trip in a Chevy Bel Air, Tara begins her path to a spiritual awakening, soundtrack included. It is a road trip like no other. Let Tara show you how to reconnect to a life beyond the cubicle and follow your intuition to fulfill your heart’s desire. Prepare to get happy!

______

The book is arranged into three parts, the stages of butterfly development (Chrysalis, Metamorphosis and Migration) and because I’m a musician, each chapter is titled after a famous song related to my journey (Into the Mystic – Van Morrison, Stand By Me – Ben E. King, Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin, Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles, etc.) It’s a perfect road trip soundtrack for the journey of life.

The themes are currently relevant in relation to immigration, female empowerment, and how people describe the idea of the American dream. It captures the pulse of America right now, with stories that aren’t being shared on the nightly news. It also reveals the essence of the Irish immigrant in America. It teaches readers how to find happiness, no matter where they land.

Book Trailer Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgLuEi42abM

Balboa Press Author page – https://taraogradyauthor.com/

Musician page – https://www.taraogradymusic.com/

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